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While there are several methods of cooking I will divide them into 2 categories; moist (haha, Emily) heat and dry heat, and what cuts of beef best suit each category.

Moist Heat:

Boiling- to submerge fully in liquid, at a temp of 212 degrees. For soups and stews, I recommend a tougher cuts of meat in the round and shoulder Stewing/Braising- is the method of a variable amount of liquid around the meat in a covered pot. Usually the meat is seared first. Braising relies on heat, time, and moisture to break down the tough connective tissue collagen in meat, making it an ideal way to cook tougher cuts. For braising, I tend to go with shank, brisket, chuck roasts, round roasts, short ribs (I recommend flanken style, as more bone marrow is exposed in this cut. Bone marrow=FLAVOR!), and oxtail. This slow cooking method is ideal for tenderizing less tender – and typically less expensive – cuts of beef. If you think about it, these parts of the animal work harder than the middle section and therefore the muscles are more exercised and the connective tissue is stronger – and a bit tougher.

Dry heat cooking methods:Roasting- uses indirect, diffused heat (as in an oven). Lower temperatures (200 to 325 degrees) are best suited for larger cuts of meat, also known as slow roasting, resulting in less moisture loss and a more tender finished product. Brisket, Chuck and Round roasts work well for slow roasting. High temperature roasting (400 degrees and above) is a recommended method for more tender cuts of beef found in the short loin section (this includes your filet mignon, porterhouse, T-bone, NY Strip), Rib Eyes, and any steaks from the Sirloin.

Grilling- What separates grilling from roasting is that it is a direct heat method to cook meats very quickly, from either above or below, at high temperatures (500 degrees). The more tender cuts of beef listed in roasting are also recommended for this method, as well as skirt steak and short ribs (from the plate section) and flank steak sliced thinly.

Searing , while not a cooking method, is a technique that is used in conjunction with the methods listed above because: